Labels

Sample Text

Definition List

Pages

Ordered List

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Washington lauds Dhaka’s stance on terrorism

Tribune Report

Praising the incumbent Bangladesh
government for its strong political commitment and firm determination to combat
local and international terrorist groups, the United States has said that
terrorists find it difficult to carry out any criminal activity using the
territory.

“Bangladesh made counter-terrorism progress
in 2014, with the government demonstrating a commitment to counter both
domestic and transnational terrorist groups,” the US Department of State said
in its annual Congressionally-mandated Country Reports on Terrorism 2014.

The report gave a detailed overview
of Bangladesh’s efforts with its legislation, law enforcement and border
security issues; countering the financing of terrorism; regional and
international cooperation; and countering radicalisation to violence and
violent extremism.

“No major terrorist incidents took
place in 2014, and the government’s counter-terrorism efforts have made it more
difficult for transnational terrorists to operate in or use Bangladeshi
territory,” the report says.

South Asia remained a front line in
the battle against terrorism. According to the report, the number of terrorist
attacks last year increased by 35% and total fatalities increased 81% compared
to 2013, largely due to terrorist activities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.

More than 60% of all the attacks
took place in five countries: Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria.
And 78% of all fatalities due to terrorist attacks also took place in five
countries: Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.

Terrorists use social media platform

Mentioning al-Qaeda leader Ayman
al-Zawahiri’s audio tape over Bangladesh last year, the US report says
terrorist organisations used social media to spread their radical ideologies
and solicit foreign fighters from Bangladesh.

“Expatriate Bangladeshis have been arrested
for attempting to recruit Bangladeshis to join the Islamic State in Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL). While Bangladesh is not part of the Global Coalition to
Counter ISIL, it is taking steps to address the threat,” says the report.

Legislation, law enforcement, border
security

The annual report says Bangladesh’s
criminal justice system is in the process of fully implementing the
Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 (ATA) as amended in 2012 and 2013.

“Although Bangladesh’s ATA does not
outlaw recruitment and travel in furtherance of terrorism, the broad language
of the ATA provides several mechanisms by which Bangladesh can implement UN
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2178, which requires nations to address the
foreign terrorist fighter threat.”

The US report quoting media reports
mentions that the law enforcers arrested several members of local terrorist
groups Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami-Bangladesh
and Ansarullah Bangla Team.

“Bangladesh cooperated with the
United States to further strengthen control of its borders and land, sea, and
air ports of entry. Bangladesh continued to participate in the Department of
State’s Antiterrorism Assistance programme and received
counterterrorism-focused training for law enforcement officers,” it adds.

Counter-terrorism cooperation
between India and Bangladesh was seen after the October 2, 2014 blasts in
Burdwan of West Bengal in which involvement of the JMB members have been
suspected. Following the incident, Indian officials visited to Dhaka while a
Bangladeshi intelligence team travelled to West Bengal, and both countries
intensified parallel raids along the border, the report says.

Countering the financing of
terrorism

Bangladesh Bank and its Financial
Intelligence Unit/anti-money laundering section lead the government’s effort to
comply with the international sanctions regime.

According to the report, the
terrorist finance provisions of the ATA outlaw the provision, receipt and
collection of money, service, and material support where “there are reasonable
grounds to believe that...the same has been used or may be used for any purpose
by a terrorist entity.”

Regional and international
cooperation

Bangladesh is active in the full
range of international fora and bringing the country’s counter-terrorism
efforts in line with the four pillars of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy. The country is party to various counter-terrorism protocols under the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

“The current government has
demonstrated its strong interest in cooperating with India on
counter-terrorism. It has signed memoranda of understanding with a number of
countries to share evidence regarding criminal investigations including
investigations related to financial crimes and terrorist financing.”

Countering radicalisation to
violence and violent extremism

The US annual report states that
last year, Bangladesh became a board member and pilot country for the Global
Fund for Community Engagement and Resilience, a public-private global fund to
support local, grassroots efforts to counter violent extremism.

It adds that the Education Ministry
provides oversight for madrasas and is developing a standard national
curriculum that includes language, mathematics and science; and minimum
standards of secular subjects to be taught in all primary schools, up to the
eighth grade.

On the other hand, the Religious
Affairs Ministry and the National Committee on Militancy Resistance and
Prevention work with imams and religious scholars to build public awareness
against terrorism, the US State Department report adds.